A Reason to Live
by oldaccountthisisdumb
Summary: Seto is having a reaccuring dream and thinks of it as just another annoyance, but he finds himself changing the way he is living because of it. What is trying to be told to him..and whom will he attract by this gift?
1. A reason to live

{A/N..yup.. i own nothing but this story..enjoy..maybe..}

_The streets were dark outside my house. Dark like my emotions. They had blown away like the bitter leaves on a windy autumn day. How could this have happened? How could i have let my guard down? I had been kissed.. but somehow it made me colder.. more bitter towards the world. Anyone else would be rejoicing. Why was i so different? I put my head to my knees, tucked up tight to my chest, arms wrapped around them, my hair falling hapazardously around me. I looked down from my perch high up in the tall oak tree. I could just barely make out the figure comming towards. I crept silently to the center, pulling in my arms and shielding my bare, pale skin with the darkness of the shadows all around me. Very avoidant, yes, but i did not need to be disturbed by whoever was aprotching. If thats what they were comming for. Surprisingly, it sat. It sat at the base of the tree and wept. But what could i do? There was a faltering in their breathing. I moved my foot and i unluckely hit a brittle twig, which_ _snapped off and tumbled down, landing on the ground directly right to the stranger. I sucked in my breath. I had to move. I adroitly swung my body down to one of the branches opposite the figure. Too bad this one couldnt hold my weight, and as it cracked with one final shudder, i went tumbling down to the ground. Once on the ground, i tryed to stay still, hoping that maybe, by some miracle, the person, whomever they were, had not been disturbed by the clumsyness of me. The pavement was cold. A sudden surge of pain struck through my body, and try as I might, I could not suppress my screams. I was pinned down by the piece of dry, dead tree that i had hoped would conceil my presence. There was no one around to help me. That is.. except for the weeping figure. How could they have not heard me? I called for them, but they did not even so_ _much as flinch. Were they ignoring me? were they deaf? or could it be that this mysteriouse figure was not living at all._  
  
I awoke in a cold sweat, out of breath. My eyes were opened wide. It took a minute to realize where i was. My room..my bed..my covers twisted around my body. The sun was streaming through my window. I was alive!..and i could move! of coarse!. That had all been a dream! The cloaked figure, the pain, my screams, they all felt so real.{ a/n.. overused.. i know..i know} I sat up, pulling the covers away from my body. I streatched my arms as far upwards as they could go. Who was that cloaked figure? and why was it crying? This was the third time this week that i had had that dream. Was it trying to tell me something? i shook my head. its not possible. Nothing exciting ever happens to me..at least not exciting enough for me to get dreams of warning. Thoughts of my dream lingered on my mind for a little while longer before i realized an aching pain in the pit of my stomach. I stumbled out of bed sleepily and made my way to the kitchen.   
  
...

{Hey! so i finally have a story up..maybe..unless you review and tell me it sucks..then i will save you all pain and take it off. So PLEASE! review and tell me if you like it..or not. oh ya.. this was just kinda a starter..and guess what?? YOU! get to decide who this story is about! yeah! yet another reason that reviews are important for me.. pick a Yu-Gi-Oh! character please.. and one that might go nicely with this starter..hehe..thank you! and i hope this story doesnt make you want to go die ;P .suggestions to inprove are always welcome}


	2. Illusion

Chapter Two!  
  
{Ok... this one might seem like it has everything to do with nothing...but I promise that the next few chapters will all come together soon. lol...this chapter is a bit random.. but I hope you like it anyways!lol.. that title has nothing to do with the chapter..really.. i just am out of ideas . oh the song is by Creed.. and its called bullets.. yes. thats where i got the title for the story.. just thought youd like to know! oh and in this story... '...' those quote symbols stand for Bakura's voice.. and "..." those ones stand for Marik! }  
  
****

**The Illusion**  
  
Seto's POV  
  
My house isn't huge. No. That's just an illusion people make up in their minds. I own bigger things than my house. The office in my house is half the size of the one in my tower. Hn. Who am I kidding? My house is pretty big...heck... I only use less than half of the rooms! One for my bedroom, another for my office, Mokuba's room, his game room, and the various other rooms he uses for various other reasons.  
  
I made my way down the stairs, lined with a dark read carpet. I hated that color. It reminded me of blood. Blood. the life-giving fuel in my body. I hated it. Sometimes I wish I could just stop its cycle. Just shut down. Cease to exist. Sometimes, after being at work all day and having to deal with everyone's stupid pointless problems, I would come home and.."""Beep!""". My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of one of my brother's many game boys.  
  
"Mokuba. Are you down there?"  
  
There was no answer. I shrugged it off. It was probably just my imagination again anyways. I headed left and into the kitchen. It was empty.  
  
"I wonder where everybody has gone." I said in a half dazed tone.  
  
There was a snicker in the corner of the room. I turned to see who it was, when I was attacked by something giant and red. Anger welled up inside of me as I raised my face from my brand new white jacket, which was now stained with random splatters of paint, to face none other than..Mokuba..and three other kids of whom I have never seen, least of all heard of or invited into MY house to shoot paintballs at me in MY kitchen. I was speechless.  
  
"Se..Se..Seto..." Mokuba said.  
  
I ground my teeth.  
  
"I..i didn't know it was..you..I.." he trailed off  
  
I put my hands to my head, and looked back down at my jacket. One of a kind. It had been made especially for the meeting I was holding today. I was going to get rid of a few employees who weren't quite pulling their weight around the office. I let my arms down and clenched my fists. Then I decided to walk out of the room as calmly as possible, Mokuba just standing there trying to be invisible. I didn't need this stress. What was I going to do?

Walking around I hear the earth seeking relief.  
I'm trying to find a reason to live.  
But the mindless clutter my path.  
Oh these thorns in my side.  
I know I have something free.  
I have something so alive.  
I think they shoot cause they want it.  
  
I feel forces all around me.  
Come on raise your head.  
Those who hide behind the shadows,  
Live with all that's dead.  
.............................................................................................................

Ryou's POV  
  
I rubbed my eyes. They've been bugging me a lot after the past few days. The room looked fuzzy as my eyes began to adjust from being rubbed. There was a knock at my front door, but I already knew it was Marik. Our Yami's have started a new obsession between themselves. They have realized a strong mind link between the two of them. I guess this is ok, because now whenever they want to talk to each other, there is no game of "take over the Hikari's body." I don't think they realize that I can here everything their talking about.

I can't help but smile at Bakura's new found friend. Lol, possibly his first. I'm glad he can at least be happy. Despite what people thought, I wasn't lonely. I just liked being alone is all. That is, at least, what I told myself. I seem to be writing a lot lately. Poetry, Songs, Short Stories, you name it. My writing may not be good, but it's alright, It's just the only real chance I have to spill me emotions. Plus, I found it to be a good way to pass the time.

I remember, one of Marik's friend's sisters once wrote a poem about a talking fish. As the story said, the boy caught the fish for dinner, but was tricked into letting it go, because the fish had offered him three wishes. The boy sat around all day waiting for the fish to return to grant him what his heart truly desired. He never got them, and instead, went home empty-handed.  
Tragic. Well, as tragic as you can get when you're thinking about a talking fish. Still, I couldn't help but feel bad for the man. I always wondered what it is that he would have wished for, had the fish returned. Would it have been money? Fame? Love? or something entirely different.

I know the right thing to wish for would be peace, and happiness for the world. I hope I would wish for those two things, and not let the material world blind me from doing what is right. I would wish for the strength to do what I can to stop all of the evil that the world may put out.

'So then I went up to this tall guy, maybe 6 foot, give or take some, and stole his briefcase! You should have seen the look on his face'  
" Really. What was inside?"  
'You see, that's why I called you over..i thought it would be much more fun if we split the "dirty work '  
"Well where is it then, you fool?"  
Upstairs in my room. Wait here, I'll be back in a second.'  
  
:(Ryou's voice) "What could those two be up to know?" I wondered. This might be interesting to listen to...I was quite curious as to what might be inside the stolen briefcase as well..; maybe I had been possessed by the tomb robber for a little bit too long.

'Ok here it is. I've just got to crack the lock code and we're in'

He bit his tongue while putting his ear up to the lock, which probably wasn't much use. Even he could have ripped it off, if he had really wanted to.

'There' Bakura said with an amount of satisfaction and maybe even relief that he didn't look stupid in front of Marik, in his voice. He lifted the lid to the whitish silver carrying. They started to go thought the contents, ooing at some points, and then stashing things that they thought to be valuable in their pockets, and between the couch cushions. The things looked familiar, but I could not quite put a name or a face to the items.

"Oh I call this one!" Marik stated rather loudly, "But whets this symbol, KC stand for?"

Beats me'

I tried to get off the subject of thinking of whom the stuff might belong to. Someone with a lot of money to spare, obviously. It was then that it occurred to me, KC; I remember seeing that same laptop in my Math class. This briefcase belonged to the boy who sat only two desks away from me. This briefcase belonged to Kaiba.


	3. Splash!

Recap...Seto's POV  
  
I had decided to go through with my plans and hold the meeting as scheduled. I took my briefcase off the desk and walked out to my limo. I was now dressed in an old blue coat, though it was only September 2, already around 70 degrees (F), even at this time in the morning. It was 8:00 am, and to everyone else I was late.

I opened the door to the limo, but just as my driver prepared to leave, I decided to take a different mode of transportation. I would take a little blue sports car that my brother had made me buy last week. it reminded me of some small bug, but I liked it. Plus if I didn't take it, I knew Mokuba would be driving it around the city, though he was still underage.

Maybe I was going about things all wrong. I can't exactly say that im living a life that I'd never regret. I can't even find peace in my sleep I toss and turn everywhere. Would people miss me when im gone? Would anyone even pretend that I meant the world to them? or would they call me a liar, say that I made too many mistakes. That I'll rest incomplete.

I sighed and stepped out of my car. I was still about ten blocks from Kaiba Corp Tower, but it would give me more time to think by walking. I parked the car, not even caring to check the price. I put $20 in the money box and began my trek towards my building.

Not even 2 minutes later, a lunatic with silver/white hair, and a crazy smirk on his face, shoved at me, and a split second later, he was gone. And so was my briefcase.  
  
I stood their stunned for a minute, and then mindlessly turned back to my car. Then I realized that would be useless, since I had previously stashed my keys in the briefcase. Today was just not my day.

............................................................  
  
Ryou's POV.  
  
How was I going to get Kaiba's things back to him? I had never said a word to the Teenage CEO; I don't think ive even made eye contact with him. And now what could possibly be his most important items were with me, sitting on my bed!

"What am I going to do...what am I going to do...how could Bakura be so stupid..." I said mostly to myself.

It was late. 10:30 p.m. already, and I had school tomorrow. A test. An algebra test. I hate algebra. And now with this briefcase problem to worry about, I was never going to be able to concentrate. I had to get rid of it.

I could give it to him at school tomarrow...but that would be a little wierd to see a random Ryou with your stolen briefcase...no... that idea wouldn't work. I had to get rid of it.

"I will not be able to sleep with your stuff in my possession Kaiba." I said, as if he could hear me.

But I couldn't just dump it...I made up my mind. I would make my way to his house...I knew the spot...I don't even know if I'll be able to get close enough to leave the briefcase where he'd find it. But I had to try.

I got my jacket and left my house, carrying the silver briefcase in both hands. I soon came within eyesight of two big shiny silver gates...the only opening to the wall fence surrounding the property. I looked at the gates, they didn't look too protecting. The bars were wide enough for me to slip through. Since that seemed to be the best way in, I tried...and it worked. You would have at least thought that he had an alarm. I shrugged. This might be easier than I thought.

I made my way up the drive, which seemed to stretch out for miles in the darkness. Then I saw it. The house, There was a light shining in front of the door, like it had been put on for me. Like I was expected. I carefully set down the briefcase, all of its original contents (which had been very hard to sneak away from Marik and Bakura) in, what I hoped to be, their right places. I taped a piece of computer paper onto the handle of the briefcase. On it was the word "sorry." I didn't know what else to write, especially since I had not been the one who did the stealing.

I was just glad that the responsibility was off of my shoulders but for the rest of the night I stayed awake, not being able to sleep, because I kept worrying if Kaiba would every get his Briefcase back. Maybe im too sensitive.


	4. Remembering How

Ok! Here is my (quite overdue) thank you's!

First off… to:

Kage Onna: Thank you so much for reviewing. I never really thought of Kaiba as the main character until you suggested it…so really…the story is the way it is because of YOU!

Summers Death: Also a big big thank you to you. Ryou probably wouldn't be in here is you hadn't said something. Tho he is not exactly what you suggested…he is still here!

Troublemaker007: lol you boosted my writing ego (good or bad thing? Hmm… lol) thank you so much you are really sweet. Honestly.

Sozuki: I know I know… lol im bad at the whole pressing shift while typing a letter thing. Thank you soo much for your review! It really made my day!

BobGod: lol im glad you liked when Kaiba got paint balled…I didn't know how people would react to that, but when I pictured it, it was funny. And yes… this is probably going to end up being a SetoxRyou... I just like that a little too much (ok… so im obsessed)...And I don't think Bakura has even notices the missing briefcase yet... lol. Silly Yami.

Dissclamer!: i own nothing except my bird, my cards, and this story

Chapter Four  
Seto's POV  
__

_I sat in my tree. Just waiting, watching. For something. Something I did not know. My eyes caught movement ahead of me. It was some stranger, dressed in a dark cloak. It walked over to my tree, and sat. Sat at the base of the Oak and wept. But for what reason I did not know. I began to move, but, unluckily, my foot hit a twig. It fell and landed to the immediate right of the figure. I began to ready myself to move, so as to not disturb the distressed being. I grasped the branch above me, and began the motion of swinging to the otherside of the tree, where there seemed to be a strong limb where I could quietly rest, but then I stopped. Hadn't this already happened?_

_Something told me to stay put, or better yet get down from there. "ooo! I get it!" I thought to myself. "I must be having one of those things they call lucid dreams!" "Yes. That must be it. Now..." I commanded my mind, " I want to fly!" (it had always been a dream of mine to fly..to be able to escape from anything, to feel finally free)  
I sprang off my branch, and before I knew it, my wings were...doing absolutely nothing! I was falling speedily towards the Earth. "But this is my dream!" I thought..".. "I dont want to die" I said. " I am going to land on my feet, and no harm will come to me!" Sure enough, this respond worked. _

_After a moment of calming, I slowly made my way over to the hooded figure. If turned to face me. Cautiously, I kneeled infront of whatever it was. I brought my hands up to its hood, and started to pull it back, when...  
_  
BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!  
  
"damn alarm clock." I muttered.  
  
Time for school already. At least there were only two more years of it. That still seemed like such a long time, and what did I have to look forward to after graduating?  
I remembered nothing of my dream, yet, as I walked across my room to my bathroom. I started to undress, shirt first, then the pants and boxers.

I turned the faucet thing until warm water came out, a little warmer than what I liked, but that would all be fixed soon, with my new technology. I had invented a temperature setting for the water heaters so that there was only one temperature for shower water, all the time. I just didn't know what to call it yet. The shower-matic ...stupid...the ready shower....stupid... the shower thingy..stupid.. even if I did like the last choice best.

Ryou's POV  
  
My alarm clock had been going off continuously for about fifteen minutes now. It was way too early to get up, and that alarm clock could just keep going off until it tired itself out for all I care. I'd be glad to be rid of it.

Eventually the constant noise began to numb my mind, and I started to drift back into restful bliss. I slept peacefully for a while, that is, until my yami broke into my room, seemingly playing air-guitar to the noise of the alarm. Or so it seemed. I shrank back for a moment, remembering how we used to be. Remembering when I has such a fear of him. It wasn't too long ago, either, when I was convinced that it was he I wanted t spend the rest of my life with. Then I realized that was just wired, and if we were really "like" each other, then I had the power to be just as fearful back at him. I tried it one day, and now, for the most part, we get along. Im glad. Im also glad that I realized how stupid he could be, before I really fell for him.

I finally got up, mostly out of annoyance at the wanabe rocker standing in my doorway, and brushed past him, heading to the bathroom across the hall. I turned the shower water on, a little hotter than how I usually like it, and let the room fill up with steam before I undressed...the shirt first, then the pajama pants and boxers.

I stepped into the shower water, and burned my skin. Someone needs to come up with something to make the shower water perfect everytime. That is a day I look forward to.

I packed up the necessary books for school, and headed out the door, blueberry muffin in hand. It was very windy today. I pulled my white butten-up shirt closer to my body, and swing my uniform jacket on, quickly closing up the gap in the middle. My hair was tossed round, making my vision blurred, and sending pain through my big eyes each time it hit them. I would cut it, but then I would be afraid that no one would recognize me.

Sometimes I feel so alone. Like there is no one in this world who shares the same pain, knawing at me from the inside out. eating me alive. I guess this is the feeling you get when you have no one to run to when you are weak. No one to cry on when you're sad. no one to hold you when your afraid. No one to call your friend.  
............. . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

Seto's POV  
  
When I was younger, I can remember having dreams of becoming something big, someone important. Someone whom I could look back at when I was old and say ": they really made a difference." Now that my name is known through out the country, Im not sure that is quite like the feeling I had imagined. people fear me.

A wise man (1) once said, "It is better to be feared than loved." I think I have succeeded in living by this rule in my life so far. In a way it feels good to know that I am doing something right in a stranger's eyes. Even if he is dead. Even my brother fears me. Sometimes, when im up really late working on a project, I'll have trouble falling asleep. It is times like these when I start to think about things like this.

Is it true that it is better to be feared? Well, I guess for those of us who dont know what actual love feels like, it could be true. I cant help but feel that sometimes that idea is wrong. When im feeling empty, I would much rather have someone there to talk to, than someone who would do nothing but agree with my every word because they are afraid that I could possibly fire them tomorrow.

I'd like to think that I have done everything that there is to do. Everything that is important anyways. But sometimes I wonder. Are these accomplishments of mine really something worth anything in the long run? Would they provide me with comfort, strength, and warmth?

I'd like to think that ive done everything...yes...but I know I haven't. I haven't made my first real friend, I haven't felt the feeling what your heart has been torn from your body, and crushed by the foot of someone you trusted ( figuratively speaking, of coarse). I haven't felt my heart torn from my body, and taken into another's. I haven't had my first kiss.

My ride arrived in front of school. I took a minute to get my books straight, and then opened the door, stepping out into the sunlight. It provided me with a somewhat lighter feeling inside. I began my ascent up the path to the front entrance, blue trench-coaty jacket flowing dangerously behind me; silver briefcase in hand.

(1) This "wise man: is actually Machiavelli. It is from his book: The Prince

Thank you for staying with this story thus far! please please review.. it makes me want to write this soo much more!


	5. Mystories unveiled?

**A reason to live**

**Chapter Five- Mysteries Unveiled?**

**Seto's POV**

Algebra. The most boring class of the day. I had finished the big "test" about ten minutes ago. And there was still 50 minutes left of class before I was free to go to lunch. Not that that was a good use of my time either.

I glanced casually around the classroom, reading some of the posters hanging on the four walls surrounding me and the 19 other unfortunate students. I spotted Yugi. Him and the rest of his happy little "friendship gang" (1). He looked like he was struggling with his work.

How was it that Yugi, the short little kid, could have so much luck? He always had a group of people surrounding him. I don't understand why anyone would want to be around him. There's nothing special about him, just the fact that he will do anything people ask of him.

Not that I wanted to be friends with any of "them" or anything, but he was always just so cheerful. So kind to everyone. Even his enemies trust him with their lives. I wonder if that's his real smile. Or his real emotion. I also wonder if his hair just naturally grows in spikes, or if he dumps gallons of on to make it stay the shape he wants.

I started to amuse myself with saying each of the "friendship gang's" names in my head (yeah... real amusing...huh...--' ). Tristan...Joey...Tea...Dice Boy...I mean Devlin...Duke Devlin...and the quiet one... I stopped on him. I think his name was Ryou, though everyone calls him Bakura. I had never seen him smile. His eyes sparkle every once in a while, but that's as close as I've seen it come.

Fleeting images from my dream sprang to the center of my attention, like the annoying crickets my brother had brought home and let lose last week. (To tell you the truth, I was deathly afraid of crickets. Maybe I had been tortured with them in a past life or something.) I had actually confronted the stranger. Why was I sticking my nose into its business anyways? Though people think I do that on a normal basis, it is not true.

------------ ------------- ------------ ------------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -----------

It has been almost a week since the day when I had really reflected on what was in my heart. Another Sunday of...not rest, but more work. I need a vacation.

I walked through my front door with but one thought in mind: my bed. My matterice, my pillows, my blanket. (Not my sheets though, I don't like them. They are just a waste of space.)

I walked mindlessly past Mokuba, who just stared at me, wondering if I was going to play with him. I opened the doors to my big room, and without even bothering to change, lay down on top of everything. I even left the light on, telling myself that I would get up in a few minutes to turn it off...if only I could just rest my eyes for... one...minute... I soon fell into a somewhat deep sleep. That is, until my dream.

----------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------

_I recognize this place. Its dank, misty air. The sound of nothingness reflecting in my ears. Not even the ground made a noise when I walked upon it. _

_I have started to figure out the dream-signs for myself, and slowly eased my mind into knowing that this was yet another one of my lucid dreams...or shall we say, "Nightmares."_

_It has been a while since I've dreamed of this place. In some park, a park with one huge oak tree. But I was not in it this time. I was not in my tree. Could this possibly be the next stage of my dream? I wondered what might happen in this one. Then I heard it._

_The noise of a pair of feet padding softly on the fallen leaves. Could it be? Maybe the hooded figure would be showing up after all. Not that I really wanted it to come, but if I could find out why it was crying, maybe I would be able to stop this dream and sleep peacefully for once. It again, sat at the base of the tree and began to cry. _

_It wasn't the type of crying that one would normally hear. Not the crying of one who is sorrowful, or even one who may be depressed. No. This was coming from a different source of pain. This was coming directly from the soul of the being. This cry was an outburst of loneliness. _

_I inched my way forward, losing a bit of confidence each time I took a step. If I was going to confront this problem, what better choice did I have then now? Again, the being turned to face me, not trying to stop its sniffling. _

_I crouched; one knee on the ground, the other spread across in a bent form on the right side of the figure, and reached my hands up, to brush the hood down off its head. My hands made contact, and the being sucked in its breath. I slowly slid my hands back, to reveal the pale face of the forgotten boy who sat not even two seats away from my in class. _

_This crying figure was Ryou._

_Two big, tear filled, chocolate eyes looked up at me with a longing. A longing to be accepted. By someone. Anyone. The same longing I often felt within myself, though I dare not show that side of me. He didn't seem so frightened and edgy as he did when I had seen him in the halls, darting to get out of the way of people who didn't even care to notice that he had to make it to class on time too. _

_I reached my right hand up to his face. I had a strange urge to feel his soft skin against me. I placed my hand upon his cheek, and after jumping a little from being touched, he allowed himself to relax and rested the side of his head into the palm of my hand, soaking in the warmth it seemed, like the Earth might do after a long cold winter._

_He stayed like that, eyes closed, a look of relief spread across his face, for what seemed like hours, before his eyes began to open. He brought his gentle gaze up to mine, and moved his hands to that they were resting with my right one. He slightly pulled down, and lowered it. And uncertain, but no longer forgotten look came to his face. A look like he had just been freed from himself. I heard the words "Thank You" uttered somewhere in my mind, though I saw no one's lips move. Ryou gave a great, pure smile, and was slowly floated away into the heavens, while at the same time, the darkness around me dissolved. _

_I wished to see that smile again. So pure. So happy. So perfect._

_My surroundings were no longer desolate. I was confused and, well, confused. First of all, why was Ryou, a boy I had never said two words to in all of the time I had known him, in my nightmare? It was as if he had been the one causing it. I didn't understand. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. After all, it is just a dream._

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My eyes opened slowly, as I squinted from the light coming in through my windows. I was on the floor, a pillow clutched in my arms.

I looked around, lost. It still hadn't registered to me that I was on the floor. I stood up, an aching pain in my neck.

Wait!...the sun...it's shining through my windows...but...I get up for school before the sun rises! I ran to my clock, which was flashing 9:30 am. I had missed my first class! And algebra was starting in 15 minutes! It took five minutes to drive to school, provided there was no traffic.

To take a shower, or not take a shower. That is the question. My mind made up, I ran to my bathroom.

------ -------- -------- -------- --------- --------- -------- ------- -------- --------- -------- --------

**Ryou's POV**

The teacher called out the attendance, stopping on one name in particular, repeating it, seemingly surprised that the student wasn't here.

"Kaiba...Seto Kaiba..." with that, she put a little mark on the attendance sheet and continued with the names. Skipping mine as always.

There were footsteps heard, walking down the hall to our class. The door opened, and with everyone's eyes fixed upon him, Kaiba walked through, regaining his composure. His eyes wandered, looking for the teacher, but instead or finding her, it was my gaze that he caught.

Time stopped, and I found my heart beating faster than I thought was possible. Why was he staring at me with that frightened look in his eyes, and why was it that I did not have the strength to look away?

------- -------- -------- -------- ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------

**Seto's POV**

"Kaiba would you take your seat please?" She said with an extra emphasis on the "please" part.

I regained consciousness, and looked away from Ryou. I thought of backing up and leaving, but I instead found myself nod and head over to my seat, trying to not look at the boy who had visited my dreams at least once a week for the past few months. Hopefully that was all over now.

Why was I so nervous anyways? Was it the fact that I had been so content with just being there for someone? Comforting them in a way that I didn't know of? The figure was probably just my mind putting some random face with the shady body that has haunted my mind. But some how, that conclusion did not seem to be correct.

And why in my dream had I wanted to touch him so badly?

"His hair does look soft..." I heard myself think

"No! Ah! Why the hell did I just think that for?"

Was I going crazy, or is having conversations with yourself in your mind normal?

Class consisted of sitting, writing nonsense onto my paper, and trying not to let my eyelids droop down to the point of where it was noticeable by my teacher. When there was only five minutes left of class, our teacher said that she had a special announcement.

"We have only one A on the test from last week...Seto Kaiba."

Why does she always have to do that? Every test, my name, and sometimes a few "lucky" others would be announced to the world. Not that it cared. It was as if to say, "If you want to be like them, study and do well on your work." Little did she know I had no need for studying her stupid work. I could, literally, do it in my sleep.

Class ended, but as I stood to walk out the door, my teacher called me over.

"Seto, would you please take a seat by my desk?" she said.

Reluctantly, I obeyed. Better to spend a few extra minutes in here now, then to get a detention from a pissy teacher for not staying. I sat for a moment, and then heard the shuffling of feet as they approached, stopping about 10 feet away and sitting in a chair on the other side of the teacher's desk.

I looked up, curious, and saw a shy Ryou, hands and feet moving around, trying to find some comfortable resting place. My stomach gave a jump. I wish I hadn't looked up... well, as they say... curiosity kills the cat... with the cat being my good mood this time.

"Seto, I have assigned you to tutor Ryou on his algebra. Since he is struggling, and you are obviously not, I have decided to give you a challenge. You and Ryou will have a sort of "Shared Grade". The average will be taken out of each piece of work that you each turn in. Each time you do good, or bad, it will affect each of you." She said in a voice as obnoxious as ever.

"What? That's bullsh...um... I mean, that doesn't sound like a good idea..." I blurted out, interrupting her next sentence.

Ryou sat there, wanting to say something, but not having the words.

"Well, look. You each lack greatly in your social skills, so it's not as if this will be completely useless. Plus, what have you got to lose?"

"My GPA...Maybe??" I said at the same time Ryou said something that sounded a whole. Lot like "My sanity", but that was probably just in my mind as well. Maybe this was all a bad dream.

"Look, I'm putting you two on this assignment, so its either you do this correctly, or you fail my class this semester. If you do well, next semester will be back to normal."

I looked at her stunned. What right did she have to make me special from all of her other students. Oh well, really, how hard could teaching algebra to someone be?

"Fine. Since it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice." I said as I turned to leave. "Be at my place at 6:00 tonight. Don't be late. Don't worry about bringing anything." "Why me..." I mumbled as I left for lunch.

Why had I suddenly been paired up with the subject of my random dreams? They probably had nothing to do with each other, I convinced myself, as I got out my book and began to relax, sitting at the table under the big tree outside.

_Far past these roads there is a place _

_Where all of our precious dreams remain_

_Someday I know I'll find a way _

_To keep myself from holding on. _

_Stay awake with the sound of my voice_

_I'm restless from the silence in the air._

__

_I want to be somewhere I can see the roads_

_A place where every time you breathe a wish comes true_

_I want to be where love is real _

_And memories of distant days come to life again_

__

_Inside this room, time will stand still _

_As long as I'm not aware of change _

_The world outside leave me behind by myself _

_It shows no mercy for those who hold on.___

__

_Stay awake with the sound of my voicew_

_Im restless from the silence in the air.___

_I want to be somewhere i can see the roads _

_a place where everytime you breathe a wish comes true_

_I want to be where love is real_

_where memories of distance days __come to life again_

____

_Far past these roads there is a place __where all our preciouse dreams remain_

_Someday i know i'll find a way __to keep myself from holding on_

__

_I want to be somewhere i can see the roads_

_where everytime you breathe a wish comes true_

_i want to be where love is real_

_where memories from distant days come to life again_.

(ok.. up at the top of the story I put "friendship gang" lol.. I know I've read this somewhere...I just didn't want to steal someone's idea... So I'm sorry if it is your idea... I just don't remember where I read it! So here's your credit! That idea belongs to (insert name here). Thank you for reading this! And please review!!the song is "The longest story" by Daphne Loves Derby.. which you should totally check out if you havnt! they are so awesome. Now... onto the thank yous: .

**Sozuki:** yay!!! i love boarders now!! thay are so special ( i just hope they get the next fruits basket early XP) thank you soo much for reviewing! ( im bad.. at this thank you buisness.. hmm.. lol but you know how happy it makes me!)

**troublemaker007:** hehe.. yes this is infact a setoxryou! yay! im so glad you like this story! you make me really really happy lol!

**Kage Onna:** well.. its going to be setoxryou.. but not really yaoi.. im not going to write lemons or anything, cus i dont like them lol and i dont want to think about those two like that.. eh.. :::stops thinking about that:::: ahem, anyways.. yes, just fluff which i love and nothing gross ( in my mind.. but my mind is mine.. so.. right im not making sense). i'll try to make it likeable!


	6. Makers and Breakers

**A reason to Live**

**Chapter 6**

( how people talk:

Bakura

/ Ryou/ end)

**Ryou's POV**

I paced around my living room. Two more hours until I needed to be at Kaiba's house. He said not to be late, and I would make sure that I was not. My legs were bringing my body around in wide circles around the living room, sometimes jerking me in the direction of which I had just come. I conjured up the will, and sat down on the couch, wrinkling paper in my hands.

I guess the reason I have been so nervous around Kaiba lately is because I'm afraid of what Bakura will make me do. I've heard him mumbling to himself about how the stuff must have returned to Kaiba through teleportation. Yeah...well Bakura, your wrong, just like always. Kaiba's things were returned to him because of dear, sweet, little Ryou.

This day has just been full of surprises. In fact, I wasn't aware that the teacher even knew who I was. Not just because it was the beginning of the school year, but because I just assumed that everyone saw me as the silent kid who sat in the middle of the second row from the left. I don't even think I was on the attendance list. Maybe I was, and the teacher just skipped my name because she thought that it would frighten me to say "here" every morning.

"Hey light, shouldn't you be at that boy Seto's house right about now? He said to be there at 6, right?"

"/what time is it? I still have two hours/"

"Yeah, right, well since when was two minute considered two hours? "

"/ Two minutes?!/'

I was in trouble! I was going to be late, and then Kaiba would be angry, and then he would probably lock me in the big dungeon that I'm sure he has at the bottom of his house, and then I would starve to death and probably be tortured! AH!

I grabbed my jacket, and my books, and ran down the stairs and out of my house, not even bothering to check the time.

"/ I'll be back in a few hours Bakura. Do you think you can handle putting a pizza in the oven? /" I said as my words trailed behind me, and I slammed the door.

**Seto's POV**

Off the left of the entrance hallway was a little (well, probably big) room. This would probably be considered a "family room", if I had a family, that is.

This room has a huge plasma TV with surround sound and just a few soft leather couches (not the shiny sticky kind that is always freezing...oh no... these were soft!) placed around for better viewing. Why was I always so organized? I put my lab-top on the table in the middle of the room.

Mokuba had just put a movie on. Peter Pan. He really seemed to like that movie. I guess it is because his mind is still stuck in a childish world, full of faeries and pirates. Although there were modern day pirates, but not the kind that he thought about becoming. Wouldn't that be fitting; for Mokuba, the younger brother of a CEO to become a pirate, to tap into my computers and take over my company. At least that would provide some excitement.

I sat on the couch when an overly-hyper Mokuba pounced on top of me. I wrestled him for a minute, before I had him pinned to the carpet, breathing heavily. "Setooo!" he said rather angrily.

"I always win." I replied, with a satisfied smirk on my face. He started to squirm, and I let him up.

"Its funny how he likes to spend so much time with me." I thought as he laid his head sideways on my legs.

I've never understood the bond between brothers. Just because you came from the same two people, makes you have this special bond. The older is in charge of protecting the younger brother, while the younger brother provides the laughter and happiness for the older one.

Though fleeting, the happiness Mokuba gave me was probably what I looked forward to all day.

I settled into the couch and had just started to get into the movie, when there was a hesitant knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone for at least two hours. I was probably just a door salesman. Foolish. I didn't get up for him. Plus, I didn't want to disturb Mokuba who was giggling softly at the movie.

The knocking stopped for a few minutes, then started up again. Again, I didn't answer and it was silent for a few minutes, before the persistent annoyance of a person decided to disturb me again.

I finally got up, sliding left to slip away from my little brother's head. I reached the door, and had my glare ready: lips pursed, eyes squinted, fists clenched. Yep. I was ready to face this person. I turned the handle, and swung open the door, coming face to face with none other than Ryou. My well practiced glare vanished, and instead was replaced by a look of deep confusion.

"/ Uh...um... sorry I'm late...I really did try to get here on time.../"

"What?" I said. "Its only 4:15! I said six, not 4!" I shook my head. Not only was this boy bad at algebraic equations, but he was also bad at telling time...

"/4..4:15!?/"

Damn Bakura! How could he do this to me? And how could I have fallen for his trick! Well... maybe he is having a good hard laugh right about now...I'm "glad" I can be the source of entertainment ONCE again...

"/I...I'm sorry. I'll just go for a while...I'll be back at six... I'm sorry for disturbing you...Kaiba..." I said backing up slowly, and, tripping down the stone step I had previously been standing on. But I didn't hit the ground. A strong hand grabbed my right arm and steadied me. I opened my eyes, only to have my mind swallowed up into deep pools of beautiful blue.

I have never noticed how bright Kaiba's eyes are.

One would expect them to be glazed over with darkness. I guess that was not the case.

"Careful, a broken arm would not do any good for either of us, especially with this project." Kaiba said, with little to no harshness in his words. Was this the same Kaiba I had seen every day at school?

"And no, I can not allow you to go home, now that you are already here. That would just be a waste of your time. And besides, you'd probably end up coming back late." He said. "My brother and I just started a movie, why don't you come in and watch it with us."

I nodded uncertainly, and he opened his door wider, inviting me into his home. Was this a dream? I had never expected for Kaiba's good side to be directed at me. I wasn't even sure he even had a good side.

I stepped through the doors, and looked around. I was frozen staring at the high ceiling with intricate designs covered and painted around them. A strange voice interrupted my silence.

"Setoooo" some one whined. "Are you coming back anytime soon?"

I turned my head towards the noise and saw a little black haired boy.

"Excuse my brother. He can be somewhat demanding." Kaiba said while being pulled by the young brother into the room on the left. I stood for a hesitant moment, before getting a strange feeling that I was being watched, and following the brothers.

I came into a room with fancy leather couches and a gigantic TV; the people who were frozen on the screen were almost life-size, maybe bigger.

"Feel free to sit wherever you want" Kaiba said while looking at me; Mokuba once again placing his head on Seto's legs.

The movie turned out to be Peter Pan. I had tried to watch it before, but Bakura always turned it off or did some other obnoxious thing to keep me from viewing it. I had given up on it, finally believing that it was too childish. But now seeing Kaiba watching it, I didn't feel so out of place.

I sat on one of the empty couches, on the right side, so that I wasn't so far away to be rude, but not so close to be intruding. The movie came to a part where Peter and Wendy were "dancing" in a forest clearing with faeries. It was so...magical; I guess the word would be. Kaiba just stared at the screen. Was he into the movie, or was he bored out of him mind? The expression on his face was difficult to read. I guess he was used to hiding his emotions.

As the movie neared its end, my mind came to, and I realized that Kaiba was missing. Mokuba was staring at me. I wondered for how long he had been. I gave him a funny look back, and he looked away, but only for a moment.

"What?" I finally said. He just smiled at me, and walked over; eventually kneeling on the couch cushion nearest to me.

"Oh nothing. It just that Seto never has any people his own age over. How long have you guys been friends?" He asked curiously.

"F...Friends?" has Kaiba been talking to his brother about me? Are they secretly plotting to kidnap me and hide me in a little steel cage underground? There I go again...my mind going crazy...

"Oh, for a while...I guess..." I said.

"Well, I like you! Do you like video games? I've got a whole room filled with arcade games! Come on I'll show you!" stated Mokuba.

"Not now Mokuba" a deep voice said from behind "me and Ryou have some work to be done."

With that I remembered my real reason for being here. Kaiba led me into a separate room, down the hall a little. This one had an older feel to it. I don't know why, but it gave me an air of comfort. It was a bright room. I needed the light. I don't know why, but only up until a few months ago, I had not been able to get to sleep without a dim light on, or even a night light. I didn't like to think of myself as being childish, though. I convinced myself that it was just not natural for me to be in the dark.

**Seto's POV**

I took a seat on one of the couches on one side of the table separating them, and tried to get my mind to focus. This was going to be a long, not to mention awkward, study session. Which I don't like the sound of anyways. I cant believe my actions from earlier. Why had I suddenly been so drawn to the fact that he could watch a movie with me and my brother?

I wondered what might break the ice between me and Ryou. I really had no idea what he was into. I had once seen him playing a RPG in the middle of break, but I don't know anything about those. I didn't want to sound stupid.

I acted like I was doing something to prepare for the upcoming event of algebra; shuffling through my briefcase papers, typing a bit on my computer, while the boy just sat across form me, trying to be perfect.

It seems as if he is afraid of me. I wonder what I ever did to him...

I cleared my throat, and Ryou looked up. With that I knew I had better start with the teaching, if I was ever going to.

_September falls soon, the start of something new._

_Let's break the news and break it fast for us. _

_Do you understand the reason for pain?_

_Am I the only one who hears it?_

_This awful melody is proof that I will never breathe._

_But how can I save myself behind the promises I've made_

_Just to hold on to bitterness._

_No one needs to know of the nightmares in my head_

_Cause I am letting go._

_The beauty of this night is haunting me tonight._

_Watch me as I drown in this horrible sound._

_A momentary breath is held as I step back_

_To make sure I can feel my heart still beating strong._

_Disguise yourself to hide the scars_

_It could be worse you know, so leave it how it is._

_A moment to please these fallen dreams of mine_

_They rest at my feet, but I know exactly how this ends._

_Please bring me silence to the restless screams inside my head_

_They haunt me every time I close my eyes._

_I've had enough of it._

_Hollow and despised_

_A picture in a burning home is all I am anymore._

(and now...(dun dun dun dun) the thank yous!!

Troublemaker007: thank you for the only review for the last chapter! lol yes nice job Kaiba boy ( laugh) ( i think pegasus' voice is stuck in my head permenently..--' ) lol right.. thank you soo much!!

oh ya.. the song is by a band Named Daphne Loves Derby. They are so good, and everyone should listen to them! you can download there stuff for free off of a site that is pureplayer. com or something like that.. yes.. or you could just go to their website.. and it has a link.. ( i think im rambling.. and no one probably cares... ) ok so thanks for reading this and goodnight! please review! and i will bake you ....a pumpkin pie!!


	7. Acceptance

(Well, I'm finally back… can you believe it's been almost a year since I last updated this? I don't know what happened... I took a little break and I ended up neglecting this story for almost a full year! I am so sorry, but now that I'm back, I hope you enjoy chapter seven. I just hope that everyone who kept up with this story will come back, because I miss all of you. 3 kageamira)

**A Reason to Live**

**Chapter 7**

**Seto's PoV**

I took a seat on one of the couches on one side of the table separating them, and tried to get my mind to focus. This was going to be a long, and not to mention awkward "study session". I couldn't believe my actions from earlier. Why had I suddenly been so drawn to the fact that Ryou could watch a movie with my brother and me?

I wondered what might break the ice between me and Ryou. I really had no idea of what he was into.

I acted like I was doing something important to prepare for the upcoming event of algebra; shuffling through my briefcase papers, typing a bit on my computer, while the boy just sat across from me, trying to be perfect.

I cleared me throat, and Ryou looked up. With that I knew I had better start teaching, if I was ever going to.

"So…what is it exactly that you don't understand?" I asked, still looking down at my papers.

"I…I guess…everything…" he replied, a bit of unconfident shaking in his voice.

"Well, is it solving and graphing inequalities, multiplying and factoring polynomials, solving radical equations, solving equations with the quadratic formula…"

I looked up from my resource and saw that Ryou was hunched over in a state that someone might have been in after hearing that their home has just burned to the ground with their family inside; a look of utter torment. He looked up at me with that same expression.

"Ok, well, this might be more difficult than I thought. We'll start working with integers. At the beginning. First off, do you know your order of operations?"

"That's the 'please excuse my dear aunt sally' thing, right?"

"Er… yeah. Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, addition, subtraction. Good…and how are you with these types of problems?"

"Alright, I guess. As long as they are all numbers I'm fine."

"Letters are your problem. I see. Well, what you need to remember is that each variable, the letters, just represent a number. It is that number you are trying to figure out."

"Yeah, I know that," he said with the angry expression of frustration in his voice. "What I don't understand is…forget it. It's no use, I'll never understand!"

This was the first time I had heard this boy speak out like this. I was a little amused; his face was glowing with color.

"You know what? I've got a better idea. Why don't I just do all of the homework for this class, and you can watch and try to understand…I would probably be doing all the work anyways."

"But that's cheating; I can't make you do all the work, that isn't fair to you."

"Look, I can do both sets of homework in the time it would take you to do one problem. The subject is useless anyways. Let's just get a good grade and pass the class. You'll find someway to repay me."

"But what about the tests? I'll still fail those," Ryou said in a worried voice.

"Look, if you're not up to it, then we don't have to do this. I was just thinking it would save us both a lot of trouble. As long as I get an 'A' on my tests, your grade won't matter. The lowest score we could get is a 'C' after combining out scores."

Ryou sat for a minute, considering. "Well, ok. I guess we can try it."

"Right. So, we have algebra every other day, with a test every other Friday. That means I'll have to put in roughly 30 minutes on algebra days for homework. And then I still have that damn waste-of-time physics homework…" I said mostly to myself.

"I'll do your physics homework if you want!" Ryou chimed in as if he just had a brilliant idea. "It's my best subject; I can do it if it will make things easier."

"How can you be good at physics when you're horrible at algebra? You need algebra to do the physics equations. No, I don't think that is a good idea."

"No! Please, I insist. Physics just makes sense to me somehow. Please Kaiba! It's the least I can do. I promise not to let you down."

He looked so determined, how could I have possibly said no.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Ryou's PoV**

"Here's my phone number, call me if you have any questions or concerns or…yeah, if you need anything don't be afraid to call." Kaiba said as he handed me a business card, beautifully embroidered with intricate gold lettering. I felt important just holding it; I made a silent promise to never lose it.

"We'll meet here after school on algebra days so that I can give you the homework and try to explain how to do it, but we won't concentrate on that too much."

I nodded my head and turned to leave, smiling a little bit in Kaiba's direction, before saying "Thank you for trying to help me, Kaiba; I guess I just don't learn things like this very well."

"Erm...Uh, your welcome…and just call me Seto" he stuttered, making me laugh a little in my head. Who would have thought, the Great Seto Kaiba at a loss for words?

I turned and shut the big door behind me with one destination in mind: Malik's house. He was my friend of revenge and tonight Bakura was going to regret tricking me. Malik should be off work by now; it was almost 8:00.

I rang the Ishtar's doorbell, but no one answered. I tried again, but there was no one. I decided to just go inside, like usual, the unlocked door telling me that someone was home. Figuring that Malik was probably just taking a nap, I made my way down the hallway and to his room…quietly opened his door only to find him playing around with one of the girls from my school. Wide-eyed, I muttered a quick "Sorry!" before bolting back down the hallway and out of the house. The girl just giggled at me as I left.

Once outside again, I tried to clear my mind of what I had just seen.

"I guess the only thing to do now is go back home." I said under my breath. "Maybe Bakura managed to cook dinner correctly this time."

**Seto's PoV**

"Hey Seto, what's for dinner tonight?" asked Mokuba.

I considered this question for a minute, and after thinking of no better response said, "Well, what would you like?" soon regretting that I had given my little brother the choice for our evening meal.

"Spaghetti and Meatballs!"

"Mokuba, we had that last night."

"I know, but it was so good that I want it again!"

"Well ok, you can eat the rest of the left-overs then." I said, and then after seeing the disgusted look on his face I added, "They still taste good, even better I bet, than they did yesterday. Trust me."

"Sigh, oook. I guess I'll just eat the left-overs." He said as he walked to the kitchen trying to conceal his excitement from my eyes.

"As for myself, I don't think I'll be eating." I said quietly to myself as I turned to go upstairs. I found it strange the way I had loosened up so much when Ryou was here. I just started thinking about math, and suddenly it didn't seem so heard for me to speak to him.

"But I'm sure I bored him to death" I thought as I opened the door to my bedroom and flicked on the light. The days were growing shorter, making the light fade earlier. Fall would be coming to an end and before I knew it there would be snow outside once again. More endless days of snow man building and snow ball fighting for Mokuba and me.

"I wonder if Ryou still makes snowmen" I found myself thinking, but then shook my head. "No, he may seem childish sometimes, but I bet he hasn't played in the snow for years." After all, it's not like he has a little brother around.

"I wonder if he's lonely." I thought, and suddenly felt extremely selfish. I'm always thinking how lonely I am, in my big house, with my little brother. When Ryou has no one. If only there was some way I could help. If only I could help him.


End file.
